Gate-hinge.



G. E. MUELLER.

GATE HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED 141 .11.13. 1914.

1,123,91 3, Patented Jan. 5. 1915,

GEORGE E. MUELLER, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

GATE-HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed March 13, 1914. Serial No. 824,531.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Adrian in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Gate-Hinge; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a means whereby a gate may be held suspended at one end when. lifted or supported in its normal position when the gate sags.

The invention finds particular utility when used in connection with gates in fences which confine stock to permit small stock such as pigs and sheep to pass under the gate while at the same time the gate will operate to prevent larger stock from passing through the gate.

An embodiment of my invention is provided with a means for suspending one end of the gate at different angles. A manually operated means may be provided for conveniently manipulating the suspending means.

The invention may be contained in many forms of constructions, all of which come within the purview of my claims hereinafter appended. To show the practicability of constructions embodying my invention, I have selected one of such constructions as an example and shall describe it hereinafter. The construction selected is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a gate supported in its normal or usual position. Fig. 2 illustrates the gate supported in one of its extreme positions. Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of the supporting means which operates to support the gate at a de sired angular position. Fig. 4 is a side view of the supporting means and Fig. 5 is an end view of a bracket and a locking lever also shown in Figs. 3 and 1.

1 indicates the gate located in a fence 2 and between the posts 3 of the fence. The gate is provided with a frame 4 which may be made of pipe of suitable size bent at four points forming the corners of the gate.

The gate is supported on pintles or angular pins 10 which are bolted to one of the fence posts 3.

A socketed bracket 11 pivotally supports the upper corner of the gate on the upper pm 10. The bracket may consist of two halves bolted together about the side of the frame 4 by the bolts 12.

The lower corner of the gate is provided with a two part bracket 15. Each half of 'the bracket is yoked about the lower part of the side of the frame 4 and locked together by means of the bolts 16. The bracket is provided with two downwardly extending slotted ears 17. A bolt extends through the bracket 15 at the upper ends of the cars 17 and forms a pivot pin for supporting a bell crank lever 18. The bell crank lever 18 is formed of two strips which straddle the ears 17 and the bracket 15.

A bent U-shaped bar 19 is yoked about a block 20 and locked thereto by means of a bolt 21. The block 20 is provided with an opening 22 forming a socket for the lower pintle 10 bolted to the fence post 3. The U- shaped bar is bowed substantially centrically in the upper pintle 10 secured to the fence post 3 so as to allow substantially arcuate movements of the bracket 15 as it is swung about the upper pintle 10 as the opposite end of the gate is raised or lowered. The Ushaped bar extends through slots 23 located in the downwardly extending ears 17. It slides through the slots 23 as the lower end of the gate is raised and lowered about the upper pintle 10. The legs of the Ubar are provided with notches 24. The bell crank lever 18 is provided with a cross bar 25 which extends across the U-bar and registers with the notches. When the gate is lifted, the bar 25 will rise from one pair of notches and engage with the next pair or will pass over the notches by reas n of the inclination of the sides of the notches until it is raised to the desired angle. WVhen the gate is released. the cross bar 25 will engage with the U-bar thus holding the gate angularly suspended. \Vhen the gate is to be lowered. the upper end of the bell crank lever 18 is pulled over and the cross bar is raised from the pair of engaging notches 24-. hen the gate is lowered to the desired point the cross bar 25 is allowed to drop into the pair of notches which will support the gate at the desired height.

A slender rod or wire 27 may be connected with the lever 18 at one end and to a latch lever 28 at the other end.

The latch lever 28 is pivoted to the bracket 29 secured to the frame 4. When it is desired to manipulate the lever 18, the latch lever 28 is pressed which will raise the cross bar 25. out of the notches in the U-shaped bar and permit it to drop in the desired pair of notches when the lever 28 is released.

The construction selected and described may be greatly varied in the arrangement and construction of its parts and in the substitution of the elements having equivalent functions and such modifications may still contain the invention which is described in the claims of the language of the elements shown.

\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. The combination of a gate, hinges for supporting the gate one of the hinges having a U-bar extending to opposite sides of the frame of the. gate, and a lever supported on the end ofthe gate for engaging the said U-bar for suspending the gate in raised angular adjusted positions.

2. Thecombination of a gate, hinges for supporting the gate one of the hinges having a U-bar, the legs of the bar located on opposite sides of the gate, a bracket having slots in which the legs of the U-bar are located and a lever supported on the said bracket to engage the U-bar.

?In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. MUELLER.

Witnesses:

H. H. Howns, ALISTER B. 'STAUP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

